Switched from bag and board to comic portfolios for storage

Used to keep my issues in bags with backing boards stacked in short boxes, but after moving my collection three times in two years I got tired of the bending and edge wear. I picked up a BCW Z-Folio LX at my LCS around 6 months ago and it holds about 20 books flat with no shifting. Way easier to flip through and grab something to read, plus no more worrying about humidity in the box. Has anyone else made this switch or do you stick with the traditional long boxes?

Was dead set against those ultrasonic cleaners for years, then my buddy ran a greasy fuel servo through his and I ate my words.

I watched 40 years of caked-on varnish dissolve in 15 minutes and now I'm trying to figure out which model fits under my bench without breaking the bank... anyone else finally cave on a tool they swore they'd never need?

Hit 50 furniture flips last weekend and I'm still shocked

I started fixing up old scratched tables and chairs from garage sales back in March just for something to do. Last Saturday I sold my 50th piece, a beat up oak dresser I got for $20 and spent 4 hours refinishing. Has anyone else tracked their repair count and surprised themselves with the total?

Warning: that cheap carb rebuild kit on Amazon cost me a whole weekend of tuning

Buddy at the shop in Billings told me to spend the extra $15 on genuine Mikuni parts after I fought my '02 Polaris 600 for two days straight and it still ran like garbage, has anyone else had a comparable headache with aftermarket jets?

That talk with a retired fire chief made me rethink how I wire zones

He told me he's seen three different homes where the homeowner died because the alarm panel was in a utility room with no cellular backup during a power outage. Now I'm adding a battery backup and communicator check to every install, anyone else do that as standard?

Switched from coolant mist to flood coolant and it's a whole different game

I used to run my Haas mini mill with a mist system for 3 years because I thought flood would make a huge mess. Finally bit the bullet last month after a job in Phoenix had me fighting tool wear on stainless. Anyone else fight the switch for too long and then wonder why you waited?

Always thought foam was cheap until I carved a hero prop for a short film

I used to think pink foam insulation board was just for, like, model making or whatever. But for my buddy's no-budget short film in Pittsburgh last month, I needed a fake rock that looked real close up. So I grabbed a sheet of 2-inch foam from Home Depot for about $25, carved it with a hot wire I made from an old soldering iron, and hit it with some texture paint. The result actually fooled the DP during the first take until he touched it and it squished a little. That's when I learned foam can look great but it doesn't hold up to any weight or moisture on set. I ended up coating the whole thing in lightweight spackle and that fixed the feel. Has anyone else here tried sealing foam with something that doesn't crack after a day?

My worst home inspection week - three houses in five days turned into a nightmare

I scheduled three home inspections in one week last month here in Austin, and it was a disaster from start to finish. On Tuesday, I found a cracked foundation in a 1970s ranch that would cost $12,000 to fix, and the seller refused to budge. Wednesday I walked into a flip that looked great until I opened the attic and saw black mold covering half the insulation. Friday I spent four hours at a cute bungalow only to discover the main sewer line was completely collapsed under the driveway. I literally sat in my car after the third one and just stared at the steering wheel for 20 minutes. Has anyone else ever had a week where every single house you looked at had a deal breaker?

Just realized 20 year old flour can still be completely fine for bread making

I used to hate heavy euro games until Concordia clicked for me

For years I thought anything over a 3.0 weight was just busywork with wooden cubes. My buddy kept bugging me to play Concordia at our local shop in Denver, so I finally sat down for a 2 player game last month. After the first round I was bored, but by round 3 I saw how every card you buy reshapes your whole strategy. Has anyone else had a game suddenly click after writing it off for months?